vstars Chapter 21: Strength is Capital
Chapter 21: Strength is Capital
In July, the air in Hangzhou was humid. As the Boeing 737 slowly landed, Jiang Yu looked at the familiar scenery of Jiangnan through the porthole, but he had little leisure or tranquility in his heart.
This trip was to finalize the technical details for the special effects work on "The Forbidden Kingdom," solidify the cooperation with Lionsgate, and fulfill a personal expectation that he himself couldn't quite articulate.
The hatch opened, and a wave of heat mixed with cool air rushed in.
Jiang Yu straightened his light gray linen shirt and led Wu Na and more than ten core special effects technical staff down the gangway.
Today, Wu Na wore a neat white shirt and suit pants, with her hair meticulously tied up, making her look professional and capable.
Most of the team members are young, and their eyes reveal the confidence of technical elites.
As soon as I entered the arrival hall, I saw a group of people crowding around me and coming to greet me.
The leader was a tall, elderly foreign man, none other than Rafira de Laurentiis, the producer of "The Forbidden Kingdom" and a senior producer at Lionsgate.
Beside him was a middle-aged Chinese man with a smiling, prosperous appearance, wearing a polo shirt; Wang Zhonglei, one of the co-founders of Huayi Brothers.
"Jiang! Welcome to China!"
Raffira laughed and opened her arms wide, giving Jiang Yu a warm American hug and patting him on the back. "God, look who's here! The box office miracle maker of 'Taken,' Cameron's new darling!"
His tone was enthusiastic, even carrying a hint of deliberate flattery.
This attitude is completely different from the cautiousness when the two sides first met a few months ago. Jiang Yu knows very well that this is the direct result of the global box office success of "Taken" (which is still climbing), Light Chaser Digital's strong entry into the core production layer of "Avatar", and Light Chaser's series of dazzling operations in Hollywood.
Strength is the hard currency that allows you to go anywhere without hindrance.
"Rafila, long time no see," Jiang Yu replied with a smile, his attitude neither warm nor cold.
Rafira turned to Wang Zhonglei beside him and introduced him: "Jiang, this is Mr. Wang Zhonglei, the founder of Huayi Brothers, and our most important partner in China for this film."
Wang Zhonglei immediately stepped forward, his face beaming with smiles, and extended his hands to greet her in accented English.
"Mr. Jiang, welcome to China! It's a great honor to meet you!"
Jiang Yu did not respond in English as the other party expected, but spoke in fluent Mandarin.
"Mr. Wang, hello. I'm Jiang Yu, a Chinese. I'm back in China for work, and it's a pleasure to meet you."
Wang Zhonglei was visibly taken aback for a moment, then his eyes became more eager and his smile became more genuine. He immediately switched to more fluent Chinese.
"Oh dear! Mr. Jiang! How rude of me! I never expected Mr. Jiang to speak Mandarin so well, and to be one of our own! Welcome home! Welcome home!"
He shook Jiang Yu's hand vigorously a few times, his attitude respectful yet clearly ingratiating.
He had already learned about the young man's capabilities from Lionsgate and rumors within Hollywood.
It's not just about money; the organizer of "Taken" is more importantly the one who controls the technology channels (Light and Shadow Digital), the ticket to top Hollywood projects like "Avatar," and the driving force behind the hit IP "Twilight."
Now, at a time when Huayi is eager to expand its film business, especially seeking international breakthroughs, Jiang Yu is like a benefactor who has fallen from the sky.
.......
In his previous life, Jiang Yu had only interacted with Wang Zhonglei a few times.
My impression of him is that he is a very capable person who can handle relationships with all parties perfectly. Huayi was indeed very successful in its early days under the management of the brothers.
Unfortunately, it seems that his focus was not entirely on the film itself, but more on capital operations and star management. Before Jiang Yu's rebirth, Huayi had already been struggling through many decision-making errors and industry changes, and eventually withdrew from the scene in disgrace.
Moreover, Huayi's reputation in the industry is really not good, especially since it often delays payments for production, causing headaches for many partners.
During the exchange of pleasantries, Jiang Yu also noticed several Huayi staff members behind Wang Zhonglei, as well as the assistant and local coordinator sent by Lionsgate.
The lineup is impressive, demonstrating the importance attached to it.
"Jiang, Director Wu, everyone, the car is ready. Shall we go to the hotel to rest for a bit first, and then head to the film set this afternoon?" Raffira suggested.
"Let's head straight to the set." Jiang Yu glanced at his watch. "It's still early. Let's meet with the director and art director first to check out the on-set shooting and green screen setup. We'll discuss it in more detail tonight."
Raffira readily agreed: "Of course, work comes first. Let's set off immediately!"
The group walked out of the airport in a grand procession, boarded several waiting black Mercedes-Benz vans, and headed towards Hengdian World Studios.
........
Jiang Yu, Wu Na, and a production manager from Light Chaser Pictures rode in the same car.
As soon as the car entered the highway, Wu Na lowered her voice and said in English, "President Jiang, David and Zhou Mu both made overseas calls before we came. There are some things they need you to know."
Jiang Yu gestured for her to continue.
"The details of our collaboration on Avatar, especially the fact that we exchanged special effects and a $2000 million investment for box office revenue and a share of merchandise revenue, somehow got around in a small circle in Hollywood."
Wu Na frowned slightly. "There's some unpleasant talk going around in the industry right now. Some say Cameron and Fox have dumped the toughest projects and the most uncertain returns on us. Others say that Chinese companies are rich and easy to fool, and that we're the saviors of desperate projects. Some second- and third-tier production companies have even started tentatively contacting us with project proposals that are obviously unreliable or have huge technical risks, implying that if we support them like we did with Avatar, they can give us competitive returns."
Upon hearing this, Jiang Yu's lips curled into a cold smile; he had anticipated this.
"The tallest tree in the forest catches the most wind. Our rise has been too rapid, and we've broken so many conventions, so naturally we'll attract criticism and covetousness. They think we're easy targets? Fine, let them see who the real hunter is. Tell David to respond politely to all such contacts, express interest, and demand the most rigorous due diligence and the most demanding terms. Use professionalism and procedures to shut them up, and maybe see if there are any hidden gems, but the probability is extremely low."
"Understood." Wu Na wrote it down.
"There's one more thing," Wu Na lowered her voice, "it's about Marvel. David said that Marvel has made deeper contacts through intermediaries. Their situation is worse than the outside world knows. The filming of 'Iron Man' has been severely over budget, the interest pressure from loans secured by mortgaging the copyright is enormous, the stock price has been plummeting due to the subprime crisis, and their cash flow could dry up at any time. They are now desperately seeking new funding, and even considering selling part of their equity or deeper cooperation. The terms they've offered are very tempting, but the risks are extremely high. David, I'd like to ask for your opinion."
Marvel... Jiang Yu's gaze fell on the rapidly receding scenery of Jiangnan outside the car window.
This future entertainment empire is currently in the darkest hour before dawn.
Everyone thought Iron Man was Marvel's last stand, a desperate struggle. No one could have predicted the earth-shattering effect of its release next year, and the glorious decade that followed.
Getting involved now would be an extremely risky gamble in anyone's eyes, and Jiang Yu, as a reborn person, knows the value of that.
"Reply to David," Jiang Yu said slowly, "Express our strong interest in this matter, emphasizing that we need the most thorough understanding of Marvel's complex copyright pledging situation and financial model. We can invite Marvel's core management team for a private high-level dialogue at an appropriate time. We are not in a hurry; they are. In addition, have Chen Jingming's team fully analyze all publicly available and non-public data about Marvel. I need the most detailed investment risk assessment and value analysis report."
"Yes." Wu Na nodded and quickly made a note on the computer.
Jiang Yu leaned back in his chair and closed his eyes to rest.
Information raced through my mind: the undercurrents in Hollywood, Marvel's predicament, the connections made with Huayi Brothers in China, "The Forbidden Kingdom" at Hengdian World Studios... and the person I was about to meet.